David Poolman & Roman Tkaczyk: DEADERER<br>
RENDER @ University of Waterloo, East Campus Hall<br>
February 26th through March 20th, 2008<br>
Closing event/concert: March 20th, 7-10pm<br>
<br>
DEADERER presents collaborative works by Toronto-based artists David<br>
Poolman and Roman Tkaczyk that reference extreme forms of youth<br>
rebellion and symbolic violence with a particular emphasis on Death<br>
Metal culture. Working collaboratively, Poolman and Tkaczyk have<br>
executed a series of large format wall paintings and a photographic<br>
frieze of screen grab images. The wall paintings combine Tkaczyk's<br>
explosion drawings (cars, figures, architecture) with fragments of<br>
cryptic text reminiscent of the doodled marginalia of high school<br>
boredom and rebellion. Metalheads & Pitbulls, the screen grab frieze,<br>
presents images culled from amateur band websites featuring basement<br>
performances complemented by the antics of pitbulls, the genres pet of<br>
choice.<br>
<br>
Part of an ongoing series of projects inspired by forms of<br>
contemporary music (including Chris Down's Death to Everyone presented<br>
in 2007) DEADERER takes its inspiration from the once obscure now more<br>
mainstream genre known as "Death Metal." Developed in the suburbs of<br>
California and Florida, and eventually exported throughout Europe and<br>
Asia, the Death Metal scene began to take shape in the early 1990s.<br>
Unlike other genres of extreme music that preceded it (Punk,<br>
Hardcore, Speed Metal, and Noise) this scene sought to overthrow<br>
Christian ideology through the invocation and promotion of Satanic<br>
imagery, Norse mythology, Fascist dogma, and destructive acts of<br>
intimidation and violence. Death Metal has become hugely popular with<br>
disenfranchised suburban youth throughout the Western world. Its<br>
attraction is its ideological dissent from and destruction of the<br>
Status Quo, its embracement of 'otherness", and its utter rejection of<br>
all music and thought that came before it. DEADERER is an absurdly<br>
elegant engagement with this music, youth violence, rebellion, and<br>
intimidation.<br>
<br>
In addition to the collaborative works, the exhibition also includes<br>
two video works by Poolman, 13 Instances and The Burning of the Nauvoo<br>
Temple (after Carl Christensen). 13 Instances is based on the artist's<br>
engagement with a specific Death Metal community in Iowa. Like many of<br>
Poolman's video works, there is a strong narrative thread weaving<br>
together seemingly disjunctive fragments of voice and image. The<br>
Burning of the Nauvoo Temple video is based on the photographs of Varg<br>
Vikernes. In 1992 Varg Vikernes of the Black Metal group Burzum set<br>
fire to the Fantoft Stave Church in Bergen Norway. Vikernes documented<br>
his fires and used these photographs for the promotion of his band and<br>
as a tool to instigate others to follow in his footsteps. This<br>
triggered a spree of vandalism and arsons across Norway, Europe, and<br>
North America. Poolman's video features animations by Jeremy Price<br>
and a soundtrack by guitarist Matt Killen.<br>
<br>
DEADERER will close with a performance by FightWithBears, a five piece<br>
hardcore band from Georgetown, Ontario. Scheduled for the evening of<br>
March 20th, the performance will be recorded and made available as a<br>
live EP produced by Poolman and Tkaczyk and released by RENDER as part<br>
of the DEADERER publication.<br>
<br>
For more information please visit <a href="http://www.render.uwaterloo.ca/" target="_blank">www.render.uwaterloo.ca</a> or contact:<br>
<br>
Andrew Hunter<br>
Director/Curator<br>
RENDER<br>
519-888-4567 ext. 33575